He gave no further details, but in a separate tweet, said finance ministers from the 19-member eurozone would meet in Brussels to consider the request in a third attempt to find a compromise with the new radical leftist government in Athens.

Greece is seeking an assistance package rather than a renewal of an existing deal which comes with tough austerity conditions.

The request has boosted hopes for a last minute compromise to avert a Greek bankruptcy and exit from the eurozone.

However, it was not clear if the proposal would be acceptable to eurozone partners who insist Athens comply with all bailout terms.

With its European Union/International Monetary Fund bailout program due to expire in little more than a week, Greece's prime minister Alexis Tsipras urgently needs to secure a financial lifeline to keep the country afloat beyond late March.

Specifically, Athens has asked for an extension to its so-called Master Financial Assistance Facility Agreement with the eurozone, a government official told news agency Reuters.

However, Greece has proposed that the terms are different from its current bailout obligations, the official said.

If senior eurozone officials were satisfied with the proposal, then Eurogroup finance ministers would hold a conference call on Friday to conclude an agreement, sources said.

Greece called upon to compromise

EU paymaster Germany and fellow eurozone governments have so far insisted no loan deal without the full bailout conditions on the table.

Tsipras promised to ditch austerity measures imposed by the lenders when he was elected last month.

German finance minister Wolfgang Schaeuble has poured scorn on suggestions that Athens could negotiate an extension of eurozone funding without making any promises to push on with budget cuts and economic reforms.

But on Wednesday he indicated there may be some possibility of a compromise.

"Our room for manoeuvre is limited," he said during a debate in Berlin.

"We must keep in mind that we have a huge responsibility to keep Europe stable," he added.